Up-And-Down Day Ends in Saturday Split

By Mike DeVader, Reinhardt Director of Athletic Communications & Media

Photo Courtesy of Greg Spell/G-RoxPhotos.com

LAKE WALES, Fla. – Baseball dominated in game one to sweep Warner (Fla.) in a weekend series after an 11-0 final Saturday morning, but couldn't overcome one of the worst starts possible on a baseball field in game two after Reinhardt's comeback attempt fell just short to Edward Waters (Fla.), 9-8.

The loss – where the Tigers plated nine runs in the bottom of the first inning – dropped the Eagles to 6-3 on the season after winning four contests in-a-row.

"We had a good weekend, just not a great weekend," head coach Jonathan Burton said. "Our team wanted to be great this weekend but a bad first inning really didn't give us much of a chance. We are a really good offensive team, but we can't spot teams eight-run leads. Today, nine runs scored after a two-out error, and our inability to get ahead of hitters was the difference. We fought back but these things need to stop happening in order for us to be a great team.

"I believe it will get fixed, but some of our losses early are unacceptable."

Jordan Hampton was in complete command of game one on the mound against the Royals, as he stood tall and went six scoreless innings while allowing just one hit and striking out four. The offense would give Hampton immense run support in the victory with nine hits and multiple tallies in the third (4), sixth (2) and seventh (4).

Chris Basilio got the Eagles on the board with a sacrifice fly to right and then the matchup was blown wide open compliments of a 3-run homer by designated hitter Michael Convery in the third inning after a run-scoring hit from Keven Jimenez to make it 5-0.

A Warner passed ball then brought in another base runner for the hometown team in the sixth, and then Ben Heideman put together the first of his two RBIs on a single to third. Now up, 7-0, Reinhardt added four more in the seventh, highlighted by three RBI-singles and an RBI-double.

Heideman was 3-for-4 with 2 RBIs and Andres Ugarte went 2-for-3 and an RBI as well.

A SAC fly in the opening frame by Jimenez put the hometown club ahead, 1-0, against Edward Waters, but the Tigers mauled the Eagles in the bottom of the inning after a crucial error with two outs enabled the home team on the scoreboard to come across home plate nine times – all unearned runs. 

In total, Edward Waters received two miscues in the field, grabbed five hits and score nine times, all while leaving the bases loaded following a punch-out.

Convery tried his best to get his bunch right back in the thick of things with another 3-run blast in the fourth frame, and the long ball continued in the sixth with a solo bomb from Gianmarco Marcelletti to make it 9-5.

Two more RBI-hits and an error in the top of the sixth put a four-spot on the board for Reinhardt, but a groundout and a fly out ended the threat for the Eagles at 9-8 in what would prove-to-be the best scoring chance left after they went 1-2-3 in the top of the seventh.

The Tigers only got two hits in the final six innings, but their damage was done.

Marcelletti was 3-for-4 in the loss. Jimenez also grabbed a pair of hits.

With February's rain in the Georgia area, the team is looking to add a game early next week, but officially up next on the schedule is a road trip to William Carey (Miss.) – originally slated as home contests – for a three-game series beginning on Feb. 21 at 3 p.m.

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